As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Friday 30 November 2018

Air Force Academy's Falcon Mascot Will Be Back In Action Thursday


BY COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO STAFF NOV 21, 2018
Aurora, the 22-year-old gyrfalcon mascot of the Air Force Academy, will be back in action this Thursday after recovering from injuries sustained when a student prank went wrong earlier this month.
Air Force football will take on Colorado State University Thanksgiving Day at 1:30 p.m. in Colorado Springs, and Aurora will be there to greet fans.
“She likes getting her picture taken with a bunch of people,” said Joseph Kloc, an Air Force senior and member of the elite falconry club. “She's a little bit of a diva.”
Aurora also made an appearance at Air Force’s game against New Mexico on Nov. 10, Kloc said, but didn’t travel to the University of Wyoming in Laramie last week because of icy weather.
The falcon was injured when two West Point students stuffed her and another bird into dog crates before the rivalry football game Nov. 3. Aurora bloodied a wing, likely thrashing around in the crate, before the students turned the birds over.
While football-game pranks are a time-honored tradition between military schools, they’ve never before involved birds. That’s according to the recollection of Lt. Col Don Rhymer, who runs the falconry. He was “ecstatic” to see how Aurora was recovering.

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